‘I’m not as stupid as I look”, Marilyn said as Cherrie Welburn and I arrived for this afternoon’s visit at Beth Israel’s Cardiac Care ICU.

Cherrie countered, “Nobody Could be!!”.

Cherrie gets away with a line with that. Not me. Not with Marilyn!! So, our visit began with laughter!! A very, very good sign!! The serious news first: Doctors have determined they will implant an interior pacemaker into Marilyn’s heart tomorrow. Two full days after the 5 hour surgery that included a bypass and a valve REPLACEMENT, Marilyn’s heart is not beating strongly enough!

Doctors today briefly removed the exterior pacemaker Marilyn has been wearing. The signs during that brief interlude were dramatic enough to convince doctors they need to implant a pacemaker if Marilyn is to survive. Surgeons also will inflate both of Marilyn’s lungs which are collapsed. Marilyn was in better spirits for much of our visit. She had a blueberry pancake for breakfast, Chicken “parm” for lunch and a light fruit salad during the afternoon. Marilyn began to tire dramatically during the third hour of our visit and breathing became more difficult as she was coughing up phlegm. Actually,  it was downright painful!!

One of the highlights of the visit was a “get well” note from Granddaughter Kaity, written to Grandma in Kaity’s inimitable style. Marilyn broke into a big smile reading Kaity’s note. Kaity is a sweetheart and, yes, the apple of Grandpa’s eyes. Cherrie decided to stay at the hospital overnight so she’ll be close to Marilyn with tomorrow’s scheduled pacemaker surgery.

Cherrie will contact me with the “breaking news” and then I’ll head back to Beth Israel from Uxbridge. We are so very, very lucky to have Cherrie as our best friend. She’s kept me sane during the last few days. Okay, here’s hoping tomorrow’s news is ALL good!!

Reporting live from “The Kachingerosa” in Uxbridge,

Garry.

Categories: Family, Medical

Tags: Marilyn Armstrong, Marilyn update, medical